rut¹ Definition
rut (rut)
noun
- a groove, furrow, or track, esp. one made in the ground by the passage of wheeled vehicles
- a fixed, routine course of action, thought, etc., esp. one regarded as monotonous
Etymology: < ? MFr route, route
transitive verb rut′·ted, rut′·ting
to make a rut or ruts in
rut² Definition
rut (rut)
noun
- the periodic sexual excitement, or heat, of certain mammals: applied esp. to males, often specif. to those male ruminants in which it occurs once a year
- the period during which this occurs
Etymology: ME rutte < OFr ruit < L rugitus, a roaring (as of deer in rut) < rugire, to roar < IE *reuk- < echoic base *reu-, to roar, cry hoarsely > OE ryn, OSlav rykati, to roar
intransitive verb rut′·ted, rut′·ting
to be in rut
rut Synonyms
rut
n.
rut Usage Examples
Object
- deer: This holiday offers a blend of spectacular autumn landscapes, pictorial nature photography and rutting red deer.
- track: The framing tree branches outlined the deeply rutted track in even more darkness.
- season: Yorkshire Post Today Nature notes Red deer are in the middle of their rutting season.
- road: She was standing on a deeply rutted dirt road in dense woods.
- path: Sighing, he turned around and started back up the rutted path.
Converse of object
- hit: A big push next before they hit the muddy ruts and splashed out in the stream.
- make: He thinks that ' set ' characters make a rut in story routine.
- have: The M5 into Devon has ruts in it like a farm track - especially up the hills.
- leave: Two years later, the ruts left by a light, two-wheeled Bronze Age cart were found nearby at Welland Bank Quarry.
Adjective modifier
- muddy: It's a long section, starting with some very muddy ruts, then climbing through a tree lined gully.
- deep: Deep ruts in the surface of the road show the result of many years of traffic.
- same: Class-based politics begins to sound more resonant once people feel they have been stuck in the same rut for more than a generation.
- good: Better of course to be stuck in a ' good rut ' than a bad rut.
Modifying Another Word
- deeply: The framing tree branches outlined the deeply rutted track in even more darkness.
- badly: The first bit had a gentle gradient but was quite badly rutted, catching out Mike Hobbs in his Big Beetle.
- heavily: These are often muddy and heavily rutted from horses using the bridle path.
- very: The first fifty yards or so is more or less flat, which is very rutted and muddy.
Noun used with modifier
- cart: The scale of activity is indicated by the presence of cart ruts leading into the excavated rubbish pits.
- wheel: In the wheel rut 's clinging dark watch an arc of bright cloud, blue sky.
Preposition: in
road: Carts made big ruts in the roads from the brakes on them.
Browse dictionary entries near rut
- ‹ rusty
- ‹ rustproof
- ‹ rustling
- ‹ rustler
- ‹ rustle up
- ‹ rustle
- ‹ Rustin
- ‹ rusticate
- ‹ rustical
- ‹ rustic
- rutabaga ›
- ruth ›
- Ruthenia ›
- Ruthenian ›
- ruthenic ›
- ruthenious ›
- ruthenium ›
- rutherford ›
- Rutherford atom ›
- rutherfordium ›

